Japan's Liberal Democrats pledge to restart nuclear reactors - Nikkei

A sign is pictured at the lobby of the Nuclear Regulation Authority office building in Tokyo October 18, 2012. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao/Files

REUTERS - Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will promise in its policy platform to bring back nuclear reactors to service once their safety is confirmed, the Nikkei said on Saturday.

“Nuclear reactors that meet Nuclear Regulation Authority safety standards will resume operations under the government’s responsibility,” the draft document that is being prepared for July’s upper house election said, according to the Japanese business daily.

During the lower house election in December, the LDP differed considerably in its stand of using nuclear power for Japan’s economic development from the opposition, the Democratic Party of Japan.

While the Democratic Party preferred to phase out nuclear power by 2030, following the Fukushima radiation disaster in 2011, the LDP advocated more debate before deciding on Japan’s energy mix.

The party’s explicit promise is a step further than its policy manifesto for the lower house election, the Nikkei said.

The LDP will also reiterate its plans for a “bold reduction of corporate taxes,” which was also in the previous manifesto, the financial daily added. (Reporting by Avik Das in Bangalore)